Page 53 - Green Builder May-June 2020 Issue

Green housing boom? Net-zero homes,
such as this Thrive Home Builders creation
in Denver, Colo., are becoming more
popular due to an increasingly pro-green
attitude by builders, sellers and buyers.
Expect even more in years to come.
CREDIT: MOSS PHOTOGRAPHY

Maverick emissions. According to environmental policy firm United States and Canada, the number of net zero
If so, the built environment is on its way. In the
Energy Innovation, if all buildings were net zero and
No More the industrial processes were adapted to net zero, residential structures from 2017 to 2018 grew by
then the United States could reduce its GHG emis-
59 percent, according to COGNITION Smart Data.
sions by more than 50 percent.
In addition, more than 22,000 single-family and
Ed Mazria, internationally esteemed archi-
The rise of net zero housing tect and founder of Architecture 2030, finds multifamily projects that are in design, construc-
tion, or operation.
will likely accelerate in wake of a parallel between global emissions and U.S. It’s expected that the global market for net zero
the pandemic. GHG emissions. He makes the case that the energy structures will explode to $78.8 billion by
built environment is the most-promising sector 2025 due to innovation in high-performance prod-
BY GREEN BUILDER STAFF to reduce GHG emissions enough to keep global ucts, renewable energy, and automation technolo-
HE NET ZERO energy building (NZEB) warming below the 2°C limit set during the 2015 gies, and corresponding advancements in codes
movement has hit critical mass. After Paris United Nations Framework Convention on and policy—growth irrespective of location, cli-
decades of being considered a fringe goal Climate Change. mate and political jurisdiction. Time will tell.
T and showcased in the media as maverick,
net zero housing has earned its place in the main- Builders/Developers with 10+ Projects
stream. It’s slated to become the way all homes
will be built in the near future.
A number of factors are driving this movement. PROJECTS STATE/PROVINCE
They include new, cost-effective technologies and BrightBuilt Home 78 ME
ratcheted codes are driving demand for NZEBs; a
doubling of the built environment by 2050, with Greenhill Contracting Inc. 39 NY
aggressive clean energy targets being set by
governments, corporations, and communities; BrightLeaf Homes 27 IL
and building professionals using sustainability, Clifton View Homes 26 WA
energy efficiency, net zero building and solar as
differentiators. Mandalay Homes Inc. 23 AZ Westward no.
Also, consumers are playing a central role in Contrary to
purchasing, specifying green products up to Palo Duro Homes, Inc 20 NM popular belief,
70 percent of the time—even in categories such Decker Homes, Inc 17 OH only three of
the nation’s
as insulation and solar that they never used to busiest net
touch. Meanwhile, creative financing options are Latitude 38 LLC 15 VA zero
making it possible for people to buy those homes. homebuilders
All of those elements support an even bigger BPC Green Builders, Inc 15 CT are in the
ideal: The built environment can have a tremen- Charles Thomas Homes 14 NE Western
dous impact on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) United States.

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